Yanina Matsegora
PhD in Psychology, Senior Researcher, senior research officer of the research center of National Guard of Ukraine, National Academy of the National Guard of Ukraine
ORCID 0000-0001-6103-1466
Oleksandr Kolesnychenko
Doctor of Science in Psychology, senior researcher, professor of the department of professional psychology, Educational and scientific humanitarian institute of the National academy of the Security service of Ukraine
ORCID 0000-0001-6406-1935
Ihor Prikhodko
Doctor of Science in Psychology, Professor, chief of the research center of National Guard of Ukraine, National Academy of the National Guard of Ukraine
ORCID 0000-0002-4484-9781
Maksym Bayda
PhD, senior researcher of the scientific-research laboratory of moral and psychological support of service-combat activities of the National Guard of Ukraine of the Scientific-Research Center of service-combat activities of the National Guard of Ukraine of the National Academy of the National Guard of Ukraine
ORCID 0000-0001-7658-4709
DOI - https://doi.org/10.52363/dcpp-2024.1.1
Keywords: leader, serviceman, service and combat activity, combat experience, post-traumatic stress disorder, psychological recovery, post-traumatic stress disorder, addictive behavior, alcohol dependence, mental health.
The results of the study determined the influence of the intensity of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms on the risk of alcohol abuse in military personnel participating in intense combat operations with different socio-demographic characteristics. The study involved 546 male servicemen who were directly serving in the area of intense combat and were withdrawn for one to two weeks to undergo a recovery program based on such indicators as the manifestation of external signs of maladjustment, acute stress response, exhaustion, etc. The age of the study participants is from 20 to 55 years.
It has been determined that not only the formed PTSD, but also its intense symptoms are associated with an increased risk of alcohol dependence. At the same time, the presence of factors that usually exacerbate PTSD - sleep problems, injuries and contusions, somatic complaints - in different age groups had different effects on the risk of alcohol dependence.
Age-related characteristics amplify the effect of other factors that influenced the risk of alcohol use in servicemen and women who participated in intense combat operations. Thus, very young servicemen and servicemen of the age limit are often taken care of by the entire unit, including in matters of alcohol control, but outside of this care, when experiencing combat stressors, these categories of servicemen may increase the risk of alcohol use compared to servicemen who belong to the category of young age and have more effective means of self-regulation.
It is assumed that young servicemen and women have more trust in their own means of self-regulation, including those related to alcohol consumption. Unlike young and mature servicewomen, they are less likely to restrict themselves in drinking alcohol in situations that they believe are not related to health threats and are more capable of self-restraint in situations that pose a health threat. Other age groups in the study may significantly limit their desire to drink alcohol in an effort to prove their compliance with the requirements of military service, but may lose the ability to self-restrain when PTSD symptoms become more intense.